- Jan 25, 2009
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Shalom
One of my favorite series to watch is known as "Pirates of the Caribbean"---as the ideology of a pirate's life has always been captivating and I enjoyed the story lines. Sailors & their tales have always had a sense of adventure, from those stories involving what's seen in the films with Jack Sparrow to some of the older tales such as "Sinbad the Sailor." (probably my favorite adventure tail).
However, something that came to mind at one point when investigating was the thought of Jewish culture never seeming to intersect with the world of piracy....and when I did more research, I was blown away to see how history should have had way more descriptions of Jews involved in it just as Europeans were.
It's by Edward Kritzler and talks about how some Jews, exiled from Spain and Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries, turned to piracy on the Caribbean high seas---mainly as a way to provide for themselves as well as their kin, ala "Robin Hood" types.
On where Edward discusses his reasons for the book:
Some famous pirates that were discussed were people such as Jean Lafitte, perhaps the most famous one who was named after the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and played a critical role in winning the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
Another pirate discussed was known as Sinan, known as "The Great Jew," who was second in command to famed 16th Century pirate Barbarossa. Noted as one who was a remarkable navigator, he was known for doing extensive exploits. When Spain hired forces to protect the Barbary Coast from Corsairs, Sinan led the battle against them, defeating the Genoan navy. He later commanded 6,000 troops against the fortress at Tripoli, Libya, eventually conquering the city. One can go here in Ed Kritzler's book to see more on it that may interest you
Apparently, many Jewish pirates (as Kritzler writes) were "secret Jews" who converted to Catholicism in name only to survive the Inquisition, then fled to the Caribbean and did their own thing.
Some things that were interesting to consider were how it was apparently the case that the pirate ships kept kosher galleys and refrained from raiding other ships on Shabbat...as discussed in the book here and here. To consider how those turning to piracy stil tried to maintain some aspect of Judaic practices was surprising---but what stood out to me the most was seeing how what they did was essentially the opposite of what many Jews did with Crypto-Judaism where they went underground/adopted the views of those who were a majority. Rather, they chose to be marginalized and remain in the open with their Jewish heritage---except they did so in radical ways.
But prior to that, Jewish pirates were first mentioned by Josephus when discussing the wars with the Romans and what the Jews did in turning to piracy to fight against them. In his "The Jewish War", as Josephus wrote:
For more, one can go here to see what Josephus said in depth in "The Wars Of The Jews Or The History Of The Destruction Of Jerusalem Book I.
And there were so many Jews at the sea, some of which were pirates, during Pompey's time that king Antigonus II Mattathias was accused in sending them out in purpose--and for more, one can go here. Ancient Jewish life was concentrated around Jerusalem, located some distance from the sea....therefore creating a scenario where Jews were initially not very interested in seafaring or navigation. However, after 142 BCE, Jews got ports of their own...and Joppa (Jaffa), Ashdod and Gaza were added to Hasmonean dominions, and a small number of Jewish sailors was created. It is after that point where historic references provide some evidences of Jews fighting as pirates---and for many Jews during times of diasporas, being able to travel/traffic into other countries for safety became one of the driving reasons for many Jews to begin turning to life on the seas.
For other articles on the subject which may be of interest to others:
To see the Jews landed in the island after Columbus discovered it is even more interesting when considering the fact that it was perhaps Jew who helped him navigate over to the New World to begin with.
.Christopher Columbus himself noticed a great symbolism in expulsion Jews from Spain and sea voyages of discovery, when he started his diary with this statement:
One can go here in investigating one book on the history of Columbus and Jews precedding him in travelling the seas....as it's rather fascinating. For the Jews were experienced cartographers and Columbus as well as other great explorers (such as Vasco Da Gama ) are believed to have used used those cartographic skills..as Jews also worked as the ship navigators. With the history of the Jewish people in constantly being forced to migrate/travel with wars, the Diaspora, the Inquisitions---as well as knowledge and skills in ship navigation--it's not really surprising to see the continual development of Jewish piracy..
In regards to what was noted earlier Jewish heritage intersecting with the West Indies, with Jamaica, what was interesting to discover was that 3yrs ago several Jewish graves were found outside Kingston, some of them marked with the skull and crossbones. Alongside the skull/crossbones were Hebrew writing on some of the tombs...and the classic symbol of piracy suggests there were Jews involved in the notorious trade. As Ed Kritzler stated on the Web site of the United Congregation of Israelites in Jamaica
And to be clear, when it comes to piracy, by no means is anything said to make it out as if all Jews involved were just trying to make a living. For there were others that were indeed of the negative variety of pirates since they'd mistreat others/enslave and do things typical of what you'd see in many movies. However, as there were two differing varieties and some aren't even aware of how Jews would fit into it, one must be careful.
Part of why the subject of Jews and piracy has been on my mind is because I feel like I relate to them....as many of them sought to provide for themselves in ways that others felt were either illegal---or unlawful according to the Torah. But in their eyes, it was necessary. For those Jewish communities that've suffered and often made it out as if Jews were always victims, those who were pirates seemed to flip that ideology on its head since Pirate JEWS showed how they were not always going to allow themselves to simply be picked on or forced to go undercover.
For those Jewish communities today that may suffer--I have been wrestling with whether or not I'd choose to go the route of stealing if I had no other option in order to buy food. As the Torah states "Thou Shall Not Steal" in multiple places ( Leviticus 19:11, Exodus 20:15, Proverbs 10:2 Jeremiah 7:9-11, Leviticus 6:1-7, Mark 10:19 , Proverbs 30:8-9 )
) If believing that we're in the end times and that persecution against believers will include not being allowed to eat, knowing how far one's willing to go is a big deal...and even beyond that, knowing what one will be condemned for is a bigger one. For many, it would be an issue of condemnation if one was stealing to survive/provide. And some scriptures coming to mind:
There are other Jewish organizations that've discussed the issue of how Torah Law shows that stealing to save a life is never a problem (as seen here). Of course, all are different. Where some feel the Torah itself would allow for stealing (alongside other things like lying) if it was the only option available for showing love to your neighbor, others feel that the Torah will always condemn it...no matter how much one feels that they're acting justly like a "Robin Hood."
Again, I'm torn on it...
If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime. Shalom
One of my favorite series to watch is known as "Pirates of the Caribbean"---as the ideology of a pirate's life has always been captivating and I enjoyed the story lines. Sailors & their tales have always had a sense of adventure, from those stories involving what's seen in the films with Jack Sparrow to some of the older tales such as "Sinbad the Sailor." (probably my favorite adventure tail).
However, something that came to mind at one point when investigating was the thought of Jewish culture never seeming to intersect with the world of piracy....and when I did more research, I was blown away to see how history should have had way more descriptions of Jews involved in it just as Europeans were.
Specifically, I discovered a book I was able to check out recently called "Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How a generation of swashbuckling Jews carved out an Empire in the New World in their quest for treasure, religious freedom, and Revenge."
It's by Edward Kritzler and talks about how some Jews, exiled from Spain and Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries, turned to piracy on the Caribbean high seas---mainly as a way to provide for themselves as well as their kin, ala "Robin Hood" types.
On where Edward discusses his reasons for the book:
Some famous pirates that were discussed were people such as Jean Lafitte, perhaps the most famous one who was named after the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and played a critical role in winning the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
Another pirate discussed was known as Sinan, known as "The Great Jew," who was second in command to famed 16th Century pirate Barbarossa. Noted as one who was a remarkable navigator, he was known for doing extensive exploits. When Spain hired forces to protect the Barbary Coast from Corsairs, Sinan led the battle against them, defeating the Genoan navy. He later commanded 6,000 troops against the fortress at Tripoli, Libya, eventually conquering the city. One can go here in Ed Kritzler's book to see more on it that may interest you
Apparently, many Jewish pirates (as Kritzler writes) were "secret Jews" who converted to Catholicism in name only to survive the Inquisition, then fled to the Caribbean and did their own thing.
Some things that were interesting to consider were how it was apparently the case that the pirate ships kept kosher galleys and refrained from raiding other ships on Shabbat...as discussed in the book here and here. To consider how those turning to piracy stil tried to maintain some aspect of Judaic practices was surprising---but what stood out to me the most was seeing how what they did was essentially the opposite of what many Jews did with Crypto-Judaism where they went underground/adopted the views of those who were a majority. Rather, they chose to be marginalized and remain in the open with their Jewish heritage---except they did so in radical ways.
But prior to that, Jewish pirates were first mentioned by Josephus when discussing the wars with the Romans and what the Jews did in turning to piracy to fight against them. In his "The Jewish War", as Josephus wrote:
And there were so many Jews at the sea, some of which were pirates, during Pompey's time that king Antigonus II Mattathias was accused in sending them out in purpose--and for more, one can go here. Ancient Jewish life was concentrated around Jerusalem, located some distance from the sea....therefore creating a scenario where Jews were initially not very interested in seafaring or navigation. However, after 142 BCE, Jews got ports of their own...and Joppa (Jaffa), Ashdod and Gaza were added to Hasmonean dominions, and a small number of Jewish sailors was created. It is after that point where historic references provide some evidences of Jews fighting as pirates---and for many Jews during times of diasporas, being able to travel/traffic into other countries for safety became one of the driving reasons for many Jews to begin turning to life on the seas.
For other articles on the subject which may be of interest to others:
- "Jewish Life in the Middle Ages
- "The Galilean Campaign, 67 CE
- Ahoy, mateys! Thar be Jewish pirates!
- A Jewish Philatelist's Voyage on the Seven Sea
- Moses Henriques- Jewish Pirate -Jewish Grit.com
- Sinan "The Great Jew" - Jewish Pirate - J-Grit.com
- Edward Kritzler's history of Jewish pirates is uneven
- Totally Jewish.com - Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
- Steven Plaut: Putting the Oy Back into 'Ahoy' | History News Network
- Abrabanel: Musings on the Jewish condition - The true story of the Jewish pirate
- Jamaica's New Tourism Spiel: Beaches and Reggae and Jews : Island Lures Travelers With Hidden History; Moses Cohen Henriques, Pirate of Caribbean
To see the Jews landed in the island after Columbus discovered it is even more interesting when considering the fact that it was perhaps Jew who helped him navigate over to the New World to begin with.
.Christopher Columbus himself noticed a great symbolism in expulsion Jews from Spain and sea voyages of discovery, when he started his diary with this statement:
In regards to what was noted earlier Jewish heritage intersecting with the West Indies, with Jamaica, what was interesting to discover was that 3yrs ago several Jewish graves were found outside Kingston, some of them marked with the skull and crossbones. Alongside the skull/crossbones were Hebrew writing on some of the tombs...and the classic symbol of piracy suggests there were Jews involved in the notorious trade. As Ed Kritzler stated on the Web site of the United Congregation of Israelites in Jamaica
Part of why the subject of Jews and piracy has been on my mind is because I feel like I relate to them....as many of them sought to provide for themselves in ways that others felt were either illegal---or unlawful according to the Torah. But in their eyes, it was necessary. For those Jewish communities that've suffered and often made it out as if Jews were always victims, those who were pirates seemed to flip that ideology on its head since Pirate JEWS showed how they were not always going to allow themselves to simply be picked on or forced to go undercover.
For those Jewish communities today that may suffer--I have been wrestling with whether or not I'd choose to go the route of stealing if I had no other option in order to buy food. As the Torah states "Thou Shall Not Steal" in multiple places ( Leviticus 19:11, Exodus 20:15, Proverbs 10:2 Jeremiah 7:9-11, Leviticus 6:1-7, Mark 10:19 , Proverbs 30:8-9 )
) If believing that we're in the end times and that persecution against believers will include not being allowed to eat, knowing how far one's willing to go is a big deal...and even beyond that, knowing what one will be condemned for is a bigger one. For many, it would be an issue of condemnation if one was stealing to survive/provide. And some scriptures coming to mind:
Proverbs 6:29-31
People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house
People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house
Again, I'm torn on it...
If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime. Shalom
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